location of Mauritius. Source: Vardion/Wikipedia

Source: CIA World Factbook

Mauritius is an African island nation in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.In addition to the main island of Mauritius, the country includes the Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and the island of Rodrigues.

The main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs. It has a small coastal plain which rises to discontinuous mountains encircling a central plateau.  Mauritius was home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons, driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species.

Mauritius's major environmental issues include: water pollution, and degradation of coral reefs which almost completely surrounded the island and may pose maritime hazards. It is susceptible to cyclones (November to April). 

Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van Nassau - in the 17th century. The French assumed control in 1715, developing the island into an important naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade, and establishing a plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base, and later an air station, playing an important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as the collection of signals intelligence. Independence from the UK was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather, declining sugar prices, and declining textile and apparel production, have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.

Geography

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic Coordinates: 20 17 S, 57 33 E

Area: total: 2,040 km² (2,030 km² land and 10 km² water) note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

arable land: 49.02%
permanent crops: 2.94%
other: 48.04% (2005) 

Land Boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime Claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines, territorial sea to 12 nautical miles, and an exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles. Also a continental shelf claim to 200 nautical miles or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural Hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Terrain: Small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau. Its lowest point is the Indian Ocean (0 metres) and its highest point is Mont Piton (828 metres).

Climate: Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Government

Government Type: Parliamentary Democrazy

Capital: Port Louis

Independence Date: 12 March 1968 (from UK)

Legal System: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

International Environmental Agreements

Mauritius is party to international agreements on: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands.

People and Society

Population: 1,274,189 (July 2008 est.)

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 23% (male 148,573/female 143,859)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 443,968/female 449,670)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 35,269/female 52,850) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 0.8% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 14.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: -0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth: 73.75 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 1.83 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Literacy (2000 census): 84.4% (male: 88.4% - female: 80.5%)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 2.2 cu km (2001)

Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 0.61 cu km/yr (25% domestic, 14% industrial, 60% agricultural). Per capita: 488 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Irrigated Land: 220 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: arable land, fish.

Energy

Conflict

International Disputes: Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Economy

Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. The economy rests on sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel, and financial services, and is expanding into fish processing, information and communications technology, and hospitality and property development. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 15% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of development in these sectors. Mauritius has attracted more than 32,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India, South Africa, and China. Investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $14.06 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $6.959 billion (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 4.6% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita (PPP): $11,200 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.8%
industry: 25%
services: 70.1% (2007 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 8% (2006 est.)

Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism

Exports: clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish

Export Partners: UK 28.4%, UAE 14.2%, France 13.2%, US 7.9%, Madagascar 5.7%, Italy 4.4%, Belgium 4% (2006)

Imports: manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Import Partners: India 15.1%, France 13.1%, South Africa 8.2%, China 7.9% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: $31.93 million (2005)

Currency: Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Ports and Terminals: Port Louis

Further Reading

1. CIA World Factbook